General George
General George is one of the main antagonists of The X-Adults: Endgame trilogy and the tertiary antagonist in The X-Adults: Endgame: The Latest Threat. He is the commander of the Knights of Plague. Among Becca Smith and Caberra, George leads the Knights of Plague against the S.M.S.B. on behalf of the Gladiator. Despite being thrown off a cliff during the Battle of Transylvania, George is confirmed to appear in all three books of the trilogy. Background Origins George was born during the last days of the First NoHead War, and was the illegitimate son of Bronton, a Commandant for the Rhode Island Academy, of whom it was rumored had an illicit affair with a nursemaid that sired George. While growing up, George heard stories of great NoHeads, and ultimately came to believe that it was his destiny to rule the Solar System as dictator. When the NoHeads were destroyed, George, and many others believed that the government was weak and would never live up to the supreme power of the NoHead Empire. So George, and other mutants including Roger Black and Bronton, fled to the Unknown Countries, where they would create the Knights of Plague, a military and political junta that rose from the ashes of the fallen NoHeads and followed its brutal ideology. The government believed that the Knights of Plague were just another unimportant band of NoHead holdouts, but George’s training methods forged a formidable military. Through both terror and skill, George achieved military superiority throughout the Knights, eventually gaining the rank of General from the Gladiator, as Black was now called. As General, George had complete confidence in his fellow Knights, training methods and weapons. He was specifically close to Nolan Giles. He was also on unfriendly terms with Eve Higgins, due to their clashing personalities. After the disappearance of the Gladiator, George was captured and sent to Beta Prison for his crimes. George then spent the next decade in his maximum security cell. Later on, George would be freed by the Gladiator, at which point he returned as a military general. For his intelligence, efficiency, and cruelty, the Gladiator made him third-in-command of the Knights of Plague and keeper of Transylvania Quarters’ superweapon. Although Becca Smith had direct access to the Base’s superweapon and could command military officers, she existed outside of the official military command structure. This led to some tension with George and the Knights’ other upper ranks, who contended with her despite being wary that her agenda trumped military objectives. It was George for whom this tension was particularly palpable. Personality An ambitious individual, George longs to reveal the full power of the Knights of Plague’s military to the world, but is held back by those defiant to the Order and the superior might of his peers. Although he is dedicated to the Knights of Plague, he has a rivalry with Becca Smith, and constantly vied with Becca for the Gladiator’s attention. The reason for this in part was due to the fact that Becca’s agenda trumped the general’s own. Unlike his rival, George is more precise and tactical in his methods, and collected in commanding his Knight of Plague subordinates. George is a man of science and additionally he believed his program of training Knights of Meyer in later years from infancy was nearly flawless. He also took great pride in the use of Transylvania Quarters and the Dark Flame’s fortress upon his enemies, and was supremely confidant in its abilities. He is as indifferent to others as Becca Smith and even Mr. Stupid NoHead to the extent where he is very willing to kill hundreds of millions of innocent lives to assert the Knights of Plague’s power. Development The character of George was created for the 2018 book . While developing George’s character, D. Isaac Thomas posited that he was an obsessive character who does not get a lot of sleep. He created his look with that in mind: pale with dark eyes, and dead-set on his goals. He has called George a merciless character, one who enjoys having authority and holding onto it at all costs. D. Isaac Thomas was delighted that George’s development allowed him to explore the notion of authority. Recently, D. Isaac Thomas said he had “just come back from work on the book ... I’m a bit bushed, having just drawn out several different versions of a scene where George addresses the troops of the Knights of Plague. I hoped to try it at various levels of intensity. Ultimately, I wanted it big. I believe it was George’s major moment in the book.” Appearances ''The X-Adults: Endgame: The Latest Threat Destruction of the New Police Station After the Gladiator lured Lindsay Kellerman to Transylvania Quarters, George and Becca Smith returned to Transylvania Quarters, where they spoke to the Gladiator telepathically. When the Supreme Leader declared that their strategy had to change now that the entire S.M.S.B. would arrive soon, George suggested testing the superweapon and destroy the New Police Station, leaving their enemies vulnerable. After receiving authorization for the undertaking, George then assembled the Knights of Plague and gave a grand speech, proclaiming that the destruction of the police would be the beginning of the Knights of Plague’s rise to power in the solar system. At his signal, the base’s weapon fired and destroyed the station, wiping away their sanctum. Battle of Transylvania Shortly afterwards, George fought in the Battle of Transylvania. He stood by Becca Smith’s side (albeit reluctantly) as the Gladiator attempted to coarse Master Intelligence into giving them the Orb of Power. Just then, on Master Intelligence’s signal, the S.M.S.B. members all attacked the Knights of Plague briefly before sprinting away. The six members were then separated. Quickly locating Andromeda, George pursued her with several others beside him, causing her to panic. George was assailed by Lindsay Kellerman, who was defending Andromeda, but he deflected their fire. He continued pursuing them as they met up with Master Intelligence, but he had lost everyone except for Wallace Blanks as aid. Sebiscuits Cardarphen, however, intervened and blasted them away. Master Intelligence ordered everyone into the adjoining Time Chamber, though George and the others were on their tail, breaking through the locked door and following them into the Death Chamber. While the members regrouped, George swooped down and attacked, capturing and tying Sebiscuits Cardarphen. The other Knights of Plague were doing the same. As the others struggled, the Gladiator stepped up to Lindsay Kellerman and told her she had two choices: to hand over the orb, or watch the others die. When Lindsay gave in, the Gladiator pocketed it and proceeded to reveal the electric bomb the members were after. However, Baby Strength and Red X both got free and Red X sacrificed herself to stop the bomb from destroying the entire continent. Meanwhile, Baby Strength freed the others, and they reclaimed their weapons. As the battle resumed, George accompanied Smith in preventing the escape of Andromeda and Cardarphen. George drew his sword and began dueling with Andromeda with his sword. At the same time, the Gladiator slipped and fell, and the orb fell out of his hand and broke. Finally, Andromeda pushed him off a ledge, but he recovered and made Cardarphen his next target. After Andromeda fell to enemy fire, an infuriated Force Baby proceeded to shoot down several unsuspecting Knights. As Cardarphen turned to resume combat with Smith, Force Baby turned and used a spell to disarm George before hurling him off the platform and into the abyss. The X-Adults: Endgame: The Inferno Relit The X-Adults: Endgame: The New Order'' Relationships The Gladiator From the very beginning, George followed the Gladiator, fighting as the upper echelon of his army. The Gladiator was very impressed with George’s skills, even to the extent of making him third-in-command of the Knights of Plague. However, even from George, the Gladiator did not take kindly to failure or disloyalty. Despite George claiming to be close to the Gladiator, the Dark Lord saw him as little more than a dispensable servant. Notably, he was one of the few Knights of Plague in whom the Gladiator appeared to place any amount of genuine trust. Becca Smith George felt a lot of tension and emnity towards Becca Smith, the only Knight of Plague higher than him (of course, besides the Gladiator). Although Becca had a lot of power, she existed outside of the official military command structure. Despite being wary that her agenda trumped military objectives, George still contended with her. George was a man of science and had little understanding of Becca’s mystical ways. Becca, likewise, had little regard for George as a warrior; George’s military experience was mostly theoretical and based on simulated by nonetheless respected battlefield scenarios. Both vied for the attention of the Gladiator. Quotes Category:Characters Category:Adults Category:Knights of Plague Category:The X-Adults: Endgame characters Category:Villains Category:Fobbles Category:Males Category:Generals Category:Military characters Category:The Super Babies villains Category:D.I.T. characters